Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-09-26
FORMER RACES FOR THE CUP.
HOW it YVES Won and How 10 has Since
been Defended.
THB AMERICAS vIcToRY N IS5I-pEFEAT OF THE
CAMBRIA N 1870 ANT u THE LIyONIA IN ISL
CANADIAN EFFoRTs-ISs.J AND 1856
: rom the New York Sun.

rom the New York sun.
The history OF the contests for the Americas
o. ., the trophy that for so many years has stood
"a the emblem OF superiority in yachting is
IL resting not only because OF the evolution OF
ya-1t models which they have brought about, but
also In lesser degree showing how gentlemen
IrtSmen may advance from what seems now 10
tTe been selfish anxiety TO take undue advantage
II each other 10 a plane where each side asks and
he other grants only what Is necessary 10 a fair
st OF the representative boats OF each class
The Americas cup was originally the one Hun
Gred Guinea cup, the cup which the Royal Yacht
squadron put up at its annual regatta around
The Isle OF Wight. This race was open to all ma
lions, and 70 all sorts OF rigs and vessels, goaS
-ou-plaase affair, with no allowance for size or
riE. A new cup was put up each year, and the
yacht that got around first won the cup absolute
L. The whining OF the cup IN such a race very
often proved nothing more than the luck OF the
yachts owner The winning OF the cup by the
America " as significant only because Of the ire
IEendOuS speed with which she ran away ron her
ditions.
The cup Is OF solid silver and weighs 100 ounces.
u Is exactly = feet high. In the medalonS around
its broddest part are brief histories OF the
cup and the contests waged over IT, One medal
lion Is engraved thus:
"Une hundred guinea cup won Aug. 90, 1851, at
Cowes, EuEland, by yacht America, at the Royal
1acht squadron regatta open to all nations, beating
on the next medallion is this:
schooner America 40 tons. Commodore John c.
Stevens built by George steers. New ork 1851"
The other medaltons con ain inscriptions record
The firsG OF these contests was. of course the
one in which il first came into American hands.
1t in the year ISL A great international
fair had been opened In London, and among other
American products talked OF proper objects to
lie exhibited TO the world at that fair was
pie OF our pilot boats. The Yankee pilot boat had
made stir In the marine world, especially the
called the Mary Taylor, built by Mr.. George
Steers. The foremost American yachtsman OF
that day was the commodore OF the New York
Yacht Club instead OF "a citizen of Boston. His
u u
number OF other gentlemen with him. OF whom
Mr.. George r. Schuy Ter survives, he determined TO
build schooner ana get race with the best
yachts 20 be found on the other side. The Amer
lea was the result. The America sailed with Capt.
Richard tUld Dlck) Brown as sailing master, and
Nelson ComStock, since captain OF re-
pute, as mate. The commodore and quite
TO Havre, and then across to COwes. The
yacbJSmen at COWeS were expecting her, and
when. about o'clock one summer morning, they
saw her. the cutter Laverock ran down 10 see what
she could do. The Ldverock was swift boat OF
her Kind, but they had set the mast ia the wrong
end of her; she was too BLUM forward and had too
long lines aft. III the Americas owners had been
scOtchmen they would have set trysail at once
Then the LaveToCk folks would not have been able
TO judge Of her speed, and the Yankees would
have mad no trouble in making bets. But they did
not do so; they gave The I4verock such a whip
ping that the sporting blood OF the whole nation
turned 10 water. challenge 10 sail any thlng
they had, from a Single-sticker TO a three-masted
schooner. for any sum from one guinea to 10000
metaphoIically speaking, sent the whole fleet
\ skurry NJ Into port To escape the weather. All
national test was PERMISSION to enter nth" the
regatta OF August -, 1851, open to all
nations, where the prize a cup valued
at 100 guineas- Much against his Will Commander
Stevens consented Wanting a new jibbOom about
this time the owners went u Shlpbuilder Katsey.
OF the Isle Of Wight, and ordered O1e and RatSey
had the pluck to bet The price Of the boom that the
Beatrice would beat the America. Sailmaker Rat
Sey, who Is here 10 See the Thistle through the
races belongs 10 the same family, and he hopes to
win back more than the price OF several bOoms by
betting ON the cutter. like arrangement was
4 sail "A
were ten cutters and eight scnOOners Ia the ruck
that started at 10 O'Clock, and one schooner the
America, and one cutter. the Aurora, in sight at
The finish al { 80 O'Clock that night. The Aurora
was twenty minutes away She was sln0ll, but on
any reasonable time allowance would have been
beaten any way. In these days no schooner has
any show whatever against a s1ngle-stick boat.
The cup was brought home. The owners kept
the cup until July 5, 49,. ON that day 1t became
1.-THE AuerlcIs cup, the trophy or the worlds
that sucil trophy ought to De put up, and that
this cup Won against the best OF the Old World
yachts would Ge an appropriate one, they pre-
sented the cup 10 the New York Yacht Club by a
deed OF trust which provided certain conditions
under which contests for its possession should be
held. The gentlemen thus making the donation
were, John L. stevens, Edwin \. Stevens Hamil-
Wilkes, j. Beekman Finley and GeOrgeI- Schuyler.
The conditions were that any Organized yacht
club. through one or more OF its members. should
always be entitled 10 claim a match Tor this cup
with any yacht OF not less than 30 nor more than
800 tons, measured by the cuStOm-house rules Of
Its country. Both sides could agree 10 any match
they chose, but In case OF a disagreement the
IL
nUaI regatta or the club holding the cup, and ac-
cOrdIn- that clubs rules, the challenging party
being bound TO six months notice IN writing liking
the day ne wished tO start This notice was 10
contain The length. cusJoLn-louoe measurement,
Ttg and name OF the vessel II won ii was 10 be
held by the club only, and on the condition OF
keeping IL open forever To be sailed Tor by yachts
OF all foreign countries upon the terms just men,
toned Foreign ydcht clubs were notified OF the
terms, out iOr eleven years 10 one thought or
coming for II.
In 1863 a correspondence was begun with Mr.
A-lD pI Thames
which terminated in 1870, In sending the schooner
Cambria over 10 SAIL fOr the cup. There was no
end Ol acrlmOny In this matter that cannot now
De understood, Tor there Is 10 difficulty In making
a fair race IN these days.
Inc America having won against fleet, the
Cambria had 10 meet one. The start was made OF
Stdp.etOn ON August ., 1870, at IL 6 In the morn
1ug- vi seventeen vessels pltted against her nine
came III ahead They were the Magic, Idler, Silvie
america D1untlesS, Madgie, Phantom, Alice, and
Hacyon. The Madeleine was In the race. and was
seaten- She aIterward, having been altered sue
t-ssfuily defended the cup. The yachts started
from their anchors But one race was provided
Mr.. Ashbury objected that match which the
deed OF giIJ called for was not sweepstake and
50 when n, being man VI pluck, returned home
challenged again, IL was agreed that only one
boat should be pltted against him In each Of the
seven races W hlch were provided for, but the New
York club reserved the Tight 10 put q new boat
against HIM in each race. There WAS lot Of bad
na On octonr IS ISL - 9ss senoo enls LnS out
Keel boat, OF c0urse-waS at the line OF the inside
course, and the center board SchOOnerS Columbia
and Palmer, and the Keel SchOonerS Sappho and
Ddunlies>, were handy by Tor the committee 10
choose Iron. There was light wind and the
Hgat-dir nyer Columbia was chosen. The COIum.
bla drew D feet OF water and the L1vonia 10. or
course the Columbia woD; the time was "a min
Uteo 4 seconds In the next race, On October Is
which was the one twenty miles 10 w1ndward aud
back, the Columbia was again victorious, and by
minutes % seconds The third Trial was inside,
ana there the Liyon1a won by Is minutes, the Co
iumbi4 breaking her steering gear and carrying
away her nyiLg Jib stay.
Then the Sappno Was pitted against the Livonia
over the outside course. The Sdppho was a flyer
and wOn- Fall under, 10y 80 minutes. This was on
OCTOBER 10 On the .13d she by % minutes
over The Inside course, and that ended an unsati-
factory series OF races.
In 1876 the Canadians brought down the
Schooner Countess OF Du1eTin, owned BY Mr. Cha,
Clifford, ylCe-COmDOdOTe OF the Royal Canadian
Yacht Club. The Madeleine, rebuilt ana made a
flyer, met the Countess on the inside course on
August II, 1876, and the Countess was lett by 10
minutes 80 seconds. The previous correspondence
1ayiI : resulted IN an agreement that the visitor
should Ilett but one snip, the Madeleine again
sailed against the Countess on August II. Inc
course was laid outside, anu the Madeleine won by
not more than three races, and this ended that
contest.
Defeat stimulated the Canadians to one more
trial, and the slOOp ATLANTA was sent here The
slOOp Mischief, alter preliminary trials was chosen
10 meet her. The AtaIanJa owned by Capt CuJh-
bert, was made from u Iankee model and the race
was Of no consequence. The Mischief beat her
over the Inside course ON November %. ISL nv ~
minutes 80 seconds, and on November TO- over the